Bulldozers at work on Alexandria back lot; a closer look at the plans for the “Alexandria Residences”

Bulldozers are at work on the lot behind the Alexandria Theater. Photo by Richard L.

Reader Richard L. sent us some photos this week of work getting underway on the back lot of the Alexandria Theater building at Geary and 18th Avenue. The back lot, technically 369 18th Avenue, is being prepared for construction of a new, 4-story mixed-use building with underground parking.

The new four-story development, dubbed the “Alexandria Residences”, will consist of two levels of underground parking with 122 spaces, approximately 4,800 square feet of retail spaces on the ground floor, and 43 dwelling units on the upper floors, including one, two and three-bedroom units. There will be 5 below market rate units in the building (e.g. affordable housing, the required 12% of the proposed dwelling units).

The 122 parking spaces in the building are for the apartments, customer parking for the new building’s ground floor retail stores and the possible movie theater that might be re-opened in the Alexandria Theater building, and for the restaurant that is also proposed for the theater building. The parking area will include 2 car share spaces and 6 handicapped spaces, as well as 20 bicycle spaces.

A rendering from 2013; the ground floor layout has changed a bit since then (less commercial space).

Other notable features about the building include: an interior courtyard on the second floor, future plans for solar panels on the roof, a 4350 sq. ft. rear yard, and private, small patios and yards for the ground floor units.

All new landscaping, including over a dozen trees, will be installed along 18th Avenue. Plans also show a bulbout near the back corner of the theater building that will enable a small park space to be installed with benches, moveable tables and chairs. There are also plans to install two large palm trees on either side of the theater entrance.

13 Comments

I’m so happy to see something happening! Hopefully the blight and bad smell will be a distant memory in a couple of years. I’d love to see the theatre open as well. It’s so beautiful and an important part of the neighborhood’s history.

As for the 122 cars, I see it as actual parking in the hood, which is needed. The impact of 122 cars is insignificant compared to daily traffic. I’m guessing I’d see that many cars on Geary in five minutes.

Love the infill and actually love the fact that they’re putting in enough parking for residents with some left over for the public. Residents are going to own cars, we need to give them places to put them that are off the street and visitors need places to park, too.

Don’t kid yourself. The theater is dead. They just talk like their may be some sort of theater for political reasons, basically a con job. The Alex is dead and will never show another movie in any way.

All those parking spaces, from my perspective, means that the Geary BRT (bus rapid transit) become more feasible, at least for the area around Geary and 18th. This is because the street parking taken away by BRT is more than replaced by these parking spots. Faster bus service should lead to more riders, and thus fewer cars.

Have you not lived in the city the last ten years? When new market rate units are built families who have lived here for years get evicted. Once the first building gets built it is all downhill from there. We have the right to live here and this is step one of gentrification. The wealthy will soon take over our neighborhood that we love so much. We should only be building below market rate housing. This is our city!

We’re seeing property selling consistently and prices are crazy. Normal house asks 1.8 gets 2.1 all cash. The demand and the cash is already there. It seems like this will take some pressure off and they’ll be forced to include a percentage “affordable” units. And hopefully the folks who we love who own businesses in the hood will do better and be able to afford their increasing rents.